Hundreds show black lives matter
Murphy – Hundreds of people gathered downtown Thursday night to peacefully protest and spread the message that black lives matter.
“It’s a lot bigger than I expected,” Te’Lor Allen said as she looked around at the crowd at the L&N Depot.
She and her friends – all Murphy High School graduates from the Classes of 2018 and 2019 – initially planned a protest of about 20 people. However, as the community learned of their plans through Facebook, it continued to grow.
“I’m glad our little town came together for once,” said Destiny Adams, one of the organizers.
About 6 p.m., town police stopped traffic in front of the L&N Depot and led a line of demonstrators in walking to the center of town and toward the Cherokee County Courthouse. Protesters shouted phrases, including “No justice, no peace,” “White silence, no justice” and “Say his name – George Floyd!”
Once the crowd reached the stage set up in the intersection in front of the courthouse, the shouting changed to “I can’t breathe,” one of the last words Floyd uttered before his May 25 death at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, Minn. Many people laid face-down on the street with their hands behind their back.
The organizers took the stage with Sheriff Derrick Palmer and asked everyone to stand in silence for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, the length of time the officer held his knee on Floyd’s neck while arresting him for possibly using a counterfeit $20 bill.
Palmer, Allen and organizer Jake Reed spoke to the crowd. Palmer said any law enforcement officer who watched the video of Floyd’s arrest and can still make excuses for that officer should resign.
“That’s not what we’re about, not what we should be about,” an emotional Palmer said. “We should do everything we can to protect the lives of citizens, including suspects.”
Allen added that Floyd’s arrest and death in custody was one of many injustices against people of color.
“George Floyd was simply the straw that broke the camel’s back,” she told the crowd.
At the conclusion, organizers asked everyone to pick up trash as they walked back to the depot.
Mayor Rick Ramsey, who stood near the stage, said he was acting as a greeter to the demonstrators. He believed there were 300-500 people in attendance and appreciated their message.
“I’m very happy it was a positive, solemn demonstration,” he said.
Ramsey said a vast majority of law enforcement officers would give their life to protect others. If faced with an officer who showed the opposite, he would act immediately and do everything he could to calm the public and bring justice.
Some were gathered along the sidewalks to watch the protest. One observer was County Commissioner C.B. McKinnon, who stepped out of the Cherokee County Republican Party meeting in the GOP’s downtown headquarters.
“I support it,” McKinnon said. “I support the people’s right to do this. It’s No. 1 (the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution) for a reason.”
Ann Miller Woodford – a local artist, author and curator of African-American history – had to be at what she called a demonstration, not a protest.
“I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for people who walked for me,” Woodford told the young organizers as people gathered at the L&N Depot. “You’ll never know what this day will mean for your future self.”
Woodford learned about the event from One Dozen Who Care secretary Dawn Colbert, who is Allen’s cousin.
“Personally, as I look around, I’m proud of these kids,” Colbert said. “As adults, we should be ashamed it took the kids to do something.”
Hilton Smith, who grew up in Savannah, Ga., but moved to Murphy eight years ago, came to the protest “to shed light on all the inequality.” He said no one has choice in what their skin color is.
“To me, it’s ridiculous to hate someone for that reason,” Smith said. “We all came here together, and to me, that’s beautiful … We can all co-exist.”
Allen was happy to see the protest went well. She wished those observing would have engaged in peaceful conversation with her or her friends.
“It takes time,” she said. “I think the uncomfortable conversations are going to happen in the households of this county.”